My generation

[Louis the fly]

I think it is a fair thing to say that my generation saw the very best of the Merchant Navy.
When my father was at sea it was wartime and ships were under constant threat of attack. He was torpedoed and after 20 days in a lifeboat landed in Dakar where he was interned by the French.
When my elder brother joined it was in the days when once signing on it could be a year or more before getting home again.
By the time the generation after me came the great days were over, all of our deep sea fleets were long gone, even the coasters were flagged out. North Sea supply ships and ferries left.
The same situation in other walks of life, coal mining, ship building etc. all things come to an end.

[robpage]

My time in he Merchant Navy was 1966 - 1987 and I think by 1987 the best had gone so I would say for anyone to have enjoyed a full sea going career they would have joined immediately post war and then only done forty years service to have seen the best so I would suggest the best years were someone born in 1930 who went to sea in 1945 and retired in 1995 . Me I ran aways ashore .seagoing was starting to become a blame culture with the documentation to prove who did it !!!

[Ivan Cloherty]

My time at sea 1950's and 1960's possibly the best times at sea for the British seaman, the country still in a time of austerity with not much available, either through rationing or lack of imports and our own factories still being rebuilt, albeit with out of date machinery (unlike the defeated countries who were given state of the art machinery from the USA). For us young men to get away from all this to foreign sunny climes to countries virtually untouched by the war and to view comely maidens in exotic colourful clothing, when our own lasses were clothed in greys, browns, dark,greens and blues was a completely different world; a world seen only on the cinema screen by most of us. We got to spend a week, two weeks, three weeks at a time in these exotic places experiencing things that those back home could only dream about. These seemingly advantages gradually disappeared as the world came out of austerity and communications got better allowing ships to be run by shore wallahs rather than the men trained to run them and take decisions they thought advantageous for their company, thus making their career less interesting. Having dealt with ships and seamen right up to a couple of years ago it would not interest me at all in going back to sea, I think it was in the mid 1980's that the attraction of a sea going career would not have appealed to me, when containerisation got into full swing and port times became like tanker times, no time in port and miles from anywhere.

The sea may be exciting today to those who are starting out today, but for us oldies it would hold no attraction what-so-ever, because our time, even without our rose tinted spectacles, was undoubtedly one of the best times to be at sea, even if at times we were on lousy ships and lousy feeders, our opportunities of time in port with time to explore, if so inclined, are just not available today. We relied on each other both in work and play without this compulsion of filling in forms for every task about to be undertaken.

It will not be too long before some jobsworth comes up with a form to filled in by the captain when hijacked asking the pirate to fill in the form to ascertain whether or not he has had the correct training to use the AK47 he is now pointing at me and please sign here abdul.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, I was at sea at the wrong time , I expected to go to countries with naked Amazon women and fight sea monsters, and have adventures in far off strange lands looking for treasure. I was miss- led I want my time again, and please this time no cargo, or oil tankers, NO ships with engines, must be proper ship with sails and rum ration everyday ...And I want to be young again to climb the mast...

[John Gill]

Perhaps Louis, you did have those experiences- i'm sure you've encountered South American naked women ( at a price)- as to fighting sea monsters, who hasn't come up against some hard- case deckhand and have to defend your title. Treasure comes in different guises- A sunset dipping westward in a tropical ocean or a landfall after an eternity at sea. As to shinning up the mast perhaps you might need the assistance of the maritime version of the Stannah Stair Lift. And remember, it wasn't ALL rum, bum. and sun in those far off days,
Gilly

[robpage]

you forgot the baccy John

[Doc Vernon]

Quote (My time at sea 1950's and 1960's possibly the best times at sea for the British seaman)Unquote!

Here here Ivan,i must agree with you there as i too think that the 50's into the 60's was the best time for many of us here! Also agree with Lou,as his era a bit before ors must also have been a great time !
Yes unfortunately these days the ones that go to Sea,will not have the same life we had,and a pity that is!

Would give almost everyting i got to to turn that damn Clock back and have it all over again,however if that were at all possible (Yea Pigs do fly haha) i would surely spend many more Years with the Merchant Navy!
Cheers

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, We were at sea at the best time, but it was nothing like the movies? Hi John Gill you way of seeing the high points is very good, but you only get one bite of the cherry, Hi Doc Vernon all we need is a tall ship, a good crew {plenty on here} and a few dozen years off the clock, and a bottle with a Genie ,to give us three wishes and we are ship shape and bristol fashion.

[Ivan Cloherty]

and a few dozen years off the clock, and a bottle with a Genie ,.

A few dozen years off the c*ck and a girl called Jeanie would suit me better

[j.sabourn]

#6..Didnt have a spare hand to roll a cigarette, was to engrossed in the other 2 occupations.... John Sabourn